What I learned from my Nutritionist

August 28, 2020September 15, 2020 ~ Sarah ODell ~ 2 Comments

Could I have food sensitivities? This is what I wondered when I was working with Pam on Precision Nutrition. My mother, grandmother and her sisters all had autoimmune issues. I decided to go to a nutritionist halfway through the program with Pam. I found Ashley Hurst, R.D. who also has a degree in functional medicine. Functional medicine specialists often want to know why things are happening and try to get to the root cause.

Ashley was friendly and a great listener. She did a complete medical intake and I had a few digestive issues and some inflammation. I was at a healthy weight but I could see the inflammation in my face. Ashley said to prevent inflammation focus on healthy oils such as Walnut oil, Avocado oil and Olive oil. and avoid Canola, Safflower and Vegetable oil. Also avoid refined and white grains which can spike insulin. This will come up again later in my journey.

Ashley reviewed my vitamins and supplements and I decided to start on her multi-vitamin, fish oil. probiotic, and magnesium in powder form. The magnesium is amazing and improved my sleep immediately!

Mediator Release Test I decided to take the MRT to see if I had food sensitivities. The lab tests your blood to see if you have an immune reaction to 150 foods. I had some severe ones which where wheat, lettuce and strawberries. I noticed that I was eating lettuce and wheat frequently. I removed all the moderate and severe foods and gradually added them back in over a 6 month period. Ashley suggested that I stop eating gluten and dairy at this point because the test indicated wheat and some dairy were reactive for me. It was difficult but I did that. I also looked for starch alternatives to gluten that I could eat, such as rice and potatoes. Giving up bread and pasta were difficult but if I could find alternates then I could get through it.

It was difficult to remove a large number of foods at first, but I was able to gradually add more back in. After 6 months, I was able to add all the foods back in without a problem, though still avoiding gluten and dairy at this point. I lost a couple pounds, I felt better and look less puffy after going through this process.

Micronutrient Density test A few months in, I decided to test my micronutrients to see how I was doing. They test 33 different vitamin and minerals. They look at the nutrients that are part of the Krebs cycle and Methylation cycle. I did pretty well considering I had been on Ashley’s vitamins for a while at this point. There were a few things I needed to supplement. I found this to be really helpful and plan to retest every year. The thinking is that if your micronutrients are in good supply you will prevent disease. Also, as you age, you don’t absorb micronutrients as well. I read recently in a magazine that people who are 50+ need selenium. Yes, that’s me! I added Brazil nuts into my diet and saw an improvement in my test results.

Gut Bacteria: I ended up taking two different stool tests to check my gut bacteria. The first one, Ubiome went out of business shortly after I received my results. Ashley made some suggestions after looking at my results. I took Thryve Inside 6 months later and found my gut bacteria to be in fairly good shape. I tried their probiotics for a while but couldn’t tell much difference from my other brand. I would take this test again in the future if I needed it.

In summary, it was very useful to work with a nutritionist. Ashley was my partner to help me figure things out. She had a lot of tools and ideas to draw on. I was very impatient at first, but realized it takes time to work through the steps and look for results. The Micronutrient Density test was very helpful and I plan to take it once a year. The MRT probably helped but it was harder to tell. I did have a reduction in inflammation and my slight digestive issues improved. Her vitamins and supplements are high quality and the micronutrient density test showed that I had good absorption. After working with Ashley, I learned that I don’t have an autoimmune disease which was good news.

Perhaps this will help someone who is thinking about meeting with a nutritionist. Stay well!

Love,

Sarah

What I Learned with a Fitness Coach

August 8, 2020 ~ Sarah ODell ~ 2 Comments

“I can help you with your nutrition and get stronger”. My friend Pam Owens was talking about her new program 3 years ago. I was curious. I knew she that she was a fitness and nutrition coach and specializes in golf, but didn’t know that she had a new program. I had been doing weight training for over 20 years but hadn’t worked with a trainer recently. Hoping to learn some new things and lose a few pounds, I signed up. It was a 1 year program and she used the Precision Nutrition system and tools. I would receive regular emails with nutrition lessons and my workouts, which were mostly strength based. The workouts were 4 days a week and Pam and I had regular coaching calls. Sometimes we Face-Timed so she could demonstrate or I could demonstrate. My customized program was heavy on building muscle which meant following the program and not doing some of the cardio I was used to. This was hard at first! I set my goals based on what I wanted to achieve and would track weight, measurements and take photos monthly.

I learned many things over the year but this is what stayed with me.

Eat slowly. It takes a while for you to sense fullness so eating slowly is important.

Balance your macro nutrients in a meal. Have some protein, a little fat, vegetables, sometimes starchy carbs.

Pay attention to carbs Are you carb sensitive? I hadn’t heard this term before. I was encouraged to try things out and see how I did. I didn’t realize zucchini is a starchy vegetable. When I think about carbs, I tended to think about potatoes, rice and bread.

Strength workouts alone can change your body. I lean towards cardio exercise so it was good for me to focus on strength work. I’m so glad I bought free weights and bands back then! I’m using them now during the quarantine.

Take note of your workouts. Pam suggested I write down my workouts that I received from Precision Nutrition. Each week your workouts would be emailed to you and for the following three weeks, the intensity would increase. I kept notes in a spreadsheet and have a year’s worth of workouts that I use today.

Experiment! Keep trying new things to see what works for you. Try new exercises. Experiment with new foods or taking foods out. I’m still doing this today.

Overall, it was a worthwhile program and I’m glad I went through it. At the end, I lost 14 inches and a few pounds.

Hop to it!

July 28, 2020July 28, 2020 ~ Sarah ODell ~ 2 Comments

I bought some weighted jump ropes in late April. We were home (like everyone else) due to the pandemic. I had been walking, doing some weights and even joined a dance class online. My intention was to jump a little at home and bring them with me to the kickboxing gym once it reopened.

Woah! The first time I jumped, I thought these ropes are great! They’re weighted and you get feedback from them. So much better than my cheap rope that will twist up. The ropes come with a free app with workouts. I started doing a beginner workout that was 16 minutes long. I could only make it for 6-7 minutes with breaks. My heart was pounding with this workout. Yikes, it was time to get in shape!

In the first few weeks, I could feel my muscles recovering after the workouts. It felt like they were humming and throbbing. I could feel it most in my legs, arms, and butt. One of the things I learned is that you need to have a day or two break in between to let your body recover. I overdid it in week two. I was jumping and kept going faster and faster. That night I had trouble sleeping and couldn’t lay on my left side. The lateral muscle in my quadriceps was aching. I was concerned I had done some serious damage to my leg but the pain went away in a day or two. I decided I need to take 3-4 days off from jumping and start over.

Why am I doing this? When I was in my twenties, I decided that I wanted to stay healthy for the long haul. I ran a lot during that period then, then I started weight lifting in my thirties. Later I started cycling then took up yoga. Now, I don’t want to do long workouts but like to get my heart rate up and maintain my muscles. Jumping rope is a great solution because you can do it anywhere and the ropes are portable. I didn’t think about nutrition much in the early days. I’ll write about that journey in another post.

I’m improving now and jumping 3-4 times a week. My stamina has improved and can jump longer without a break. I’ve worked up to 30 minute workouts. I also realized quickly there is so much to learn. I watch people in the online group jumping rope and admire their speed, fluidity and skill. I’m working on the basic bounce, alternate foot, boxer step, crossover, and jump jacks. I can see a difference comparing my videos from the beginning to now, but the improvement seemed slow to me. My kickboxing trainer told me to keep practicing and it will come. Then I heard from more experienced jumpers that I need to be able to jump 100- 200 times in a row before I move on to the advanced jumps and increase my speed. Okay, back to the basic bounce now!

Is anyone else trying something new for fitness? I’d love to hear!

Sarah 💕